Our Mandate from the Prisoners of Iran
The One Million Voices Campaign echoes the demands of human rights activists, prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, and ordinary Iranian citizens seeking their deserved rights, including:
-A group of political prisoners who released a statement from Evin Prison in April 2010. Through the statement and a hunger strike, they demanded the ‘annulment of post-election sentences handed down to political prisoners during show trials,’ improvement of health and sanitary conditions in prison and the government to respect its own laws and constitution with regard to prisoners. Furthermore, they demanded an investigation into the inhumane and illegal judicial procedures perpetrated by the government after the 2009 Presidential election.
-17 political prisoners who held a hunger strike in July and August 2010. Despite pressure and intimidation from prison authorities, these prisoners continued the hunger strike for 16 days.
Among their demands were that prison officials recognize and fully comply with their rights as prisoners, the ‘immediate and complete implementation’ of all laws regarding the rights of prisoners, and that those who do not uphold the rights of prisoners, as guaranteed by law, are held legally accountable.
–In October 2010, a group of 14 political prisoners from Evin Prison again released a statement calling for the establishment of an independent body to investigate the government’s handling of post-election events. The prisoners assert that all Iranians are entitled to an independent investigation to ‘clarify the role of Intelligence Ministry officials and military and security forces’ and identify which members of the government, specifically the judiciary, are responsible for the violence.
-Student leader Majid Tavakoli, who has written a series of compelling letters condemning the government’s treatment of its citizens and political prisoners. In a September 15 letter he wrote, “our people are still hopeful and eagerly awaiting the day when their enemies, who are the enemies of democracy and freedom and human rights, are denounced and unveiled and their faces are known to all.”
-Political prisoner Heshmat Tabarzadi’s defense against his charges in September 2010. Mr. Tabarzadi said, “I reserve the right to indict at the right time all those who have violated the parts of the constitution that guarantee the rights of citizens.”
He released a follow-up letter in October 2010 calling for exiled Iranian lawyers to take his case before the international courts and prosecute Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for the Islamic Republic’s crimes against political prisoners. Mr. Tabarzadi asked all human rights organizations and activists to pursue this action.
-A letter from the wife of condemned political prisoner Jafar Kazemi. Mr. Kazemi’s lawyer, Nasim Ghanavi, said that her client’s appeal was never seriously considered and the charges against him have no merit. Despite this, the Minister of Justice told Ghanavi that the Supreme Leader is the only one who can pardon Mr. Kazemi’s sentence. Supreme Leader Ali Khameni’s involvement in the trials of political prisoners demonstrates that he is aware of and responsible for the treatment and executions of these prisoners.
-From the depths of his prison cell, Ayatollah Sayed Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi , beaten and tortured, thanked the US and European authorities for targeting regime officials for their serious abuses of human rights and solemnly asked all organizations defending human rights to help political prisoners in Iran and bring the regime before an international tribunal.
About the One Million Voices Campaign
This new campaign, One Million Voices for Iran, seeks to raise one million voices for human rights in Iran. The world’s attention was focused on the millions who peacefully protested in the wake of the fraudulent June 12, 2009 presidential elections and the subsequent crackdown on students, women, religious and ethnic minorities, and those with any political leanings contrary to the hard-line government. This brutal crackdown continues, and the situation in Iran deserves continued global attention.
We are collecting one million signatures on a petition to demand global action against human rights violations in Iran. Our petition calls for European and other governments to restrict freedom of movement and freeze overseas assets of individuals in the Islamic Republic of Iran, targeting them specifically in protest of their documented human rights abuses and demanding the release of all political prisoners.
Additionally, it will demand from all potential sources of help the creation of a special court of human rights to prosecute the Islamic Republic’s leaders for their abuse of human rights, as described here by the Green Lawyers Movement.
We echo the demands of those in Iran working tirelessly for civil and political rights, and we are inspired by the many other human rights based initiatives that pursue goals in line with the One Million Voices for Iran campaign. We are open to the idea of affiliating with any like-minded individuals or complementary causes.
Please feel free to Contact us with questions or comments.
Please sign the One Million Voices Petition.
The campaign needs volunteers to help produce materials, complete essential tasks, and promote the campaign widely.
Petition
French | German | Italian | Spanish | فارسی |
We, the undersigned ask you to sign our petition:
- calling on official legislative bodies to immediately begin proceedings to charge the Iranian Regime with documented human rights violations in an international court.
- calling on world governments to target individual officials of the regime who are responsible for grave human rights abuse, by banning their travel to and freezing all assets held in their respective countries, and demanding the release of all prisoners of conscience, and fair treatment of all political prisoners, who have been arbitrarily detained by the Iranian Regime in breach of their basic rights.
- Please use these links to sign and share using Care2 Petition Site or via Change.org.
One Million Voices for Iran - Change.org Petition
1 Million Voices for Iran - Care2 PetitionSite
Adding your real name, eg as ‘John Smith’, ‘J Smith’ or ‘John S’ depending on the level of security you need, is much appreciated. Please remember, your comment on the petition is your VOICE for Iran!
Signez de votre vrai nom par exemple : ‘Patrick Dupond’, ‘P. Dupond’ ou ‘Patrick D.’ suivant le degré de sécurité dont vous avez besoin. Et n’oubliez pas, vos commentaires sur la pétition, c’est votre VOIX pour l’Iran !
Wir begrüßen es sehr, wenn Sie mit Ihrem richtigen Namen unterschreiben. Wenn Sie aus Sicherheitsgründen Anonymität wahren möchten, können Sie anstatt Ihres vollen Namens auch Initialen (z.B. ‘J. Smith’, ‘John S’.) verwenden. Bedenken Sie: Ihr persönlicher Kommentar unter dieser Petition ist ihre STIMME für Iran!
L’ aggiunta del proprio nome – per es. “’John Smith’, ‘J Smith’ oppure ‘John S’ (in base alle vostre esigenze di privacy) sarebbe davvero apprezzata. Per favore, ricordate che il vostro commento nella petizione è la vostra VOCE per l’Iran!
Si su seguridad se lo premite, le agradeceríamos agregue su nombre real, por ejemplo, John Smith, Smith J o S Juan. Por favor, recuerde que su comentarios sobre la petición es su VOZ a favor de Irán!
Nous soussignés vous demandons de signer notre pétition :
- Demander à tous les gouvernements du monde de : viser individuellement les sommités du régime par des interdictions de voyage et le gel de leurs avoirs dans leurs pays respectifs et exiger la libération de tous les prisonniers de conscience, un traitement juste de tous les prisonniers politiques détenus arbitrairement par le régime iranien en contradiction avec leurs droits fondamentaux
- Demander aux assemblées législatives de procéder immédiatement à la mise en examen du régime iranien pour violations des droits humains devant les tribunaux internationaux
Wir, die Unterzeichnenden, bitten Sie, unsere Petition zu unterschreiben:
- Wir fordern die Regierungen der Welt auf, gegen einzelne Mitglieder des Regimes zu verhängen, d. h. diesen Personen Reisebeschränkungen aufzuerlegen, ihre im jeweiligen Land befindlichen Vermögenswerte zu sanktionieren und die Freilassung aller willkürlich vom iranischen Regime unter Verletzung ihrer Grundrechte inhaftierten Gewissensgefangenen zu verlangen.
- Rufen wir alle offiziellen Gesetzgebungsorgane dazu auf, unverzüglich Schritte einzuleiten, um das iranische Regime vor einem internationalen Gericht für die begangenen Menschenrechtsverletzungen anzuklagen.
Noi, firmatari, vi invitiamo a firmare la seguente petizione:
- chiedere ai governi del mondo esponenti ed ufficiali del regime iraniano impedendo loro la possibilità di viaggiare e di fare affari nei loro rispettivi paesi, e chiedere l’immediato rilascio di tutti i prigionieri di coscienza, un trattamento equo per tutti i prigionieri politici che sono stati arbitrariamente arrestati e detenuti dal regime iraniano in violazione dei loro fondamentali diritti.
- chiedere che ufficiali organi legislativi avviino immediatamente un processo contro il regime iraniano per violazioni di diritti umani presso un tribunale internazionale.
Nosotros, Los abajo firmantes, solicitamos a Uds. firmen nuestra petición:
- El propósito de esta petición es pedirle a los gobiernos del mundo que apliquen sanciones a los distintos funcionarios del régimen, supervisen sus viajes y supervisen al personal que mantienen en sus países respectivos. Que exijan la liberación de todos los presos de conciencia y el trato justo a los presos políticos que han sido detenidos arbitrariamente por el régimen Iraní en franca violación de sus derechos fundamentales.
- Los ha catalogado, para que comiencen de inmediato, ante un tribunal internacional, los procedimientos necesarios para demandar al régimen Iraní por violaciones a los derechos humanos.
ما ، امضا کنندگان زیر از شما درخواست میکنیم که دادخواه ما را امضاء کنید :
- ما از تمام دولت های جهان رژیم را با تحریم ها علیه سفر و ضبط دارایی آنها در کشورهای متبوع خود مورد هدف قرار دهند و خواستار آزادی همه زندانیان عقیدتی ، و رفتار منصفانه با همه زندانیان سیاسی ، که خودسرانه توسط رژیم جمهوری اسلامی در نقض حقوق پایه ای آنها بازداشت شده اند.
- بایران را فهرست بندی کرده، از تمام اعضای قوه های مقننه تقاضا داریم که رژیم جمهوری اسلامی را به اتهام نقض حقوق بشر در دادگاهی بین المللی محاکمه کنند.
Voices on Video
They Need Your Voice
Video from wonderful campaign supporters
One Million Voices – “Shiny Things” – jadt65
Million Voices Campaign – greenthumbnails
Your Endorsement is Valuable
One Million Voices for Iran calls on all members of the international community who support and defend human rights and justice to endorse our new campaign.
The purpose of the campaign is to collect one million signatures and support for a petition demanding united global action against the human rights abuses perpetrated by the government of the Islamic Republic against its own people. Individuals and groups representing women, workers, lawyers, rights advocates, children, and ethnic and religious minorities are constant victims of repression at the hands of this government. This independent, non-political campaign echoes the demands of those seeking freedom and justice inside Iran.
We, the international community, must ensure the voice of the Iranian people is heard:
Our petition calls for European and other governments to restrict freedom of movement and freeze overseas assets of individuals in the Islamic Republic of Iran, targeting them specifically in protest of their documented human rights abuses and demanding the release of all political prisoners.
Additionally, it will demand from all potential sources of help the creation of a special court of human rights to prosecute the Islamic Republic’s leaders for their abuse of human rights, as described here by the Green Lawyers Movement.
We echo the demands of those in Iran working tirelessly for civil and political rights, and we are inspired by the many other human rights based initiatives that pursue goals in line with the One Million Voices for Iran campaign. We are open to the idea of affiliating with any like-minded individuals or complementary causes.
By focusing on human rights, and echoing the demands of those inside Iran, this is a campaign that transcends political or religious boundaries, and relies on recognition from prominent human rights organizations and activists.
As part of our activitives, we are actively seeking statements of support or endorsement from individuals and organizations that we can publish. We also appreciate your help in sharing or publicising this campaign with humanitarian and media contacts, and any assistance in gathering support for our cause.
Please send your message of support using the contact page, or add a Comment here on the website.
We are happy to receive feedback, comments, and suggestions on any aspect of this campaign, as our only goal is to make it a success.
About One Million Signatures
The One Million Signatures Campaign (also known as Change for Equality) was launched in August 2006 to end the legal repression of women in Iran. Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi and other women’s rights activists organized the campaign as a follow-up to a peaceful protest held on 12 June 2006 in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran.
Their aims were to collect one million signatures to enact social change that benefits women, including equal rights in marriage and society, the end to polygamy, and the elimination of state-sanctioned discriminatory laws.
The campaign and its organizers were widely recognized by the international community.
Organizer Parvin Ardalan was awarded Sweden’s Olaf Palme Prize for 2007 , Reporters Without Borders and Deutsche Welle recognized the Campaign for Equality with an award in 2008, and the group received the Simone De Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom and the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Global Women’s Rights Award in 2009. Activists from One Million Signatures successfully lobbied against further oppression of women and promotion of polygamy included in a 2008 tax bill. Even the fashion magazine Glamour honored the activists as its 2009 Women of the Year for their courageous and innovative campaign.
Activists from One Million Signatures successfully lobbied against further oppression of women and promotion of polygamy included in a 2008 tax bill. Even the fashion magazine Glamour honored the activists as its 2009 Women of the Year for their courageous and innovative campaign.
Although the organizers of One Million Signatures acted within their rights, both under the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and under Islamic law, the Iranian government reacted to the campaign by denying the individual activists their basic rights.
Jila Baniyaghoob was arrested in January 2007 and later charged with acting against national security for her participation in the June 2006 protest. On March 4, 2007, 26 women’s rights activists were arrested at a demonstration for International Women’s Day. Mahboubeh Hosseinzadeh and 32 other women’s rights activists were arrested on the same date during a silent protest at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. On April 11, Azadeh Forghani was sentenced to 2 years in jail for acting against national security by “participating in an illegal gathering.”
On April 15, eleven women’s rights activists were summoned to Revolutionary Court and charged with endangering national security and propaganda against the state, for their presence at “illegal” gatherings. On April 23, two additional women were given prison sentences for the same, and for “disobeying the orders of officials.” On May 7, Zeinab Peyghambarzadeh was arrested. In June, Delaram Ali was sentenced to 34 months in prison and 10 lashes for her activism. On July 11, 20-year old Amir Yaghoub-Ali was arrested and held in detention for a month for collecting signatures on the petition.
In September, Bahman Ahmadi Amou’I was sentenced to 6 months in prison for participating in the June 2006 demonstration. Reza Dowlatshah held an educational workshop for the campaign at his home on September 15. The home was subsequently raided. Mr. Dowlatshah was beaten, arrested, and held by authorities for 3 days. Maryam Hosseinkhah was arrested on November 18 for managing the campaign’s website.
Ronak Safarzadeh, arrested in October, and Hana Abdi, arrested in November, were held until February 2008 without any charges being filed against them. Jelveh Javaheri was arrested in December of that year. Raheleh Asgarizadeh, Nasim Khosravi and Ehteram Shadfar were arrested in February 2008 while collecting petition signatures and charged with propaganda against the state. On March 3, Parvin Ardalan was removed from a flight in Tehran on her way to accept the Olaf Palme Prize in Sweden. On April 30, Rezvan Moghaddam was sentenced to a 3 year suspended sentence and lashes for “illegal gathering and collusion intended to disrupt national security.” Mahboubeh Karami was arrested in June and later transferred to the women’s ward at Evin Prison. Zeinab Bayzeydi was arrested in Kurdistan province in July 2008.Later that month, Nasrin Sotoudeh and Mansoureh Shojaee were summoned to Revolutionary Court. Although their summons did not name any of the charges against them, they faced charges of having “unauthorized relations” with Iranians outside of Iran and acting against national security. Campaign member Shirin Ebadi represented them. Further documentation of these arrests and sentences can be found at Human Rights First.
Officials summoned ten members of this peaceful campaign to face charges in November 2009.
Amnesty International advocated for the campaign members, noting that the activists have been intimidated, barred from international travel, and arrested.
A young supporter of the One Million Voices Campaign is another victim of the regime’s intimidation. Navid Mohebbi, a high school student and blogger from Amol, Mazandaran Province, in northern Iran, was arrested on September 18, 2010. Security forces raided his father’s home and Navid was reportedly beaten during the ordeal. As of October 21, he remains in solitary confinement in a prison in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran. Prison authorities have told his family and lawyer, Mina Jafari, that he will not be released from solitary until he “shows remorse” for his actions.
The One Million Voices for Iran Campaign is inspired by, but not associated with, the One Million Signatures Campaign.
Resources
Signature Collection Forms in PDF format. Color or Black and White. Please scan completed forms and email to petition [at] hyperactivist.info
Signature Collection Form – Black & White – English
Signature Collection Form – Color – English
Bookmark sized flyers in PDF or JPG formats to print and cut (5 per US Letter sized sheet).
Can be handed out at conferences and other events, inserted into regular mail, posted through letterboxes, or placed under wiper blades. Leave some at the local store, salon, etc..
Bookmark - Color JPG
Bookmark - BW JPG
How and where to prosecute the Iranian Regime?
This has been written after the [US State Department's] named 8 individuals involved in criminal activity of the last year and a half in Iran in their initial list of human rights abusers. Looking the list of names against whom the US is imposing financial sanctions, and regardless of questions about why names such as Mr. Ali Khamenei’s and his allies are missing, or why only financial sanctions are being applied, many people raise the question of how, and under which authority, these individuals and their allies could be prosecuted?
An abstract and simplified answer, sparing the technical details of the process, follows. First, we need to mention those international authorities who, contrary to common assumption, are not authorized to try these individuals for their crimes:
1) International Court of Justice, also known as the Hague (Den Haag) Court is only authorized to settle international legal disputes between States and is not authorized in criminal cases of individuals even if they happen to be the head of State.
2) International Criminal Court, which is also located in the Hague (Den Haag) in the Netherlands, is also not authorized to investigate the crimes of the above mentioned listed names and their allies. This court, based on the Rome Statute which was signed by many members of the United Nations on 17 July 1998, and entered into force on 1 July 2002, is only authorized to exercise jurisdiction over criminal acts which took place after 2002, the year of its establishment (as a result, investigation of the Islamic Republic regime’s crimes of its fist two decades cannot be pursued by this court).
Furthermore, this court is only authorized to exercise jurisdiction over the countries who have finalized ratification of the Rome Statute. Therefore, since Iran has not ratified the Rome Statute in its Parliament yet, and until it happens in Iran, crimes which take place in this country cannot be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court (except for the case issued in the article 4 below). Ultimately, the court’s authority is of a “complementary authority” which, under certain circumstances, can exercise its jurisdiction against the consignatary countries. Due to the limitation on scope of this article these circumstances are not mentioned here.
3) There is another court in the Hague called the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This is the first criminal court that, after ratification by the Security Council of the United Nations in 1993, was established to exclusively investigate the war crimes, genocides and crimes against humanity that took place in the 1990s in the Balkan countries. Following the establishment of ICTY, other similar courts were established by the U.N. Security Council regarding some other countries such as Rwanda and Sierra Leone, whose authority was uniquely specific to the particular circumstances of these countries. As a result, none of these specific international tribunals which are known as “third generation courts” or “specific criminal courts” (Ad hoc) have the authorities to investigate the crimes of the heads of the Islamic Republic.
4) Currently only two methods are available to address the crimes of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
A) via the approval of the United Nations Security Council for the formation of special criminal court, or
B) granting special authority to the International Criminal Court under the authority contained in paragraph b, Article 13, of the Rome Statute. This requires the scheme to be proposed by member states of the Security Council.
It requires action from liberal organizations, political parties & groups, and human rights advocates, to demand world governments to take action.
Everyone must tirelessly pursue this matter.
Charges can be brought by victims (whether Iranian nationals or citizens of other countries) or their representatives in the case of criminal damages or abuse of their rights and also cases of crimes against humanity can be brought to trial in countries where international law is upheld. Most European countries and North America are members of this group, which defends International Law.
In such a case, sentences issued by these Courts can be enforced in these countries in the first place and in other countries under certain circumstances.
The important point to note is that both these paths can be pursued simultaneously by whomever is able to do so.
Moreover, it should be mentioned that criminials condemned for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes cannot escape the responsibilities associated with these crimes in relying on rights of a governing regime and/or the national law of their country. This has been established by various treaties (including the Geneva treaties, documentations of the preliminary negotiations regarding these treaties, the international judiciary procedures including stipulations of the trials of Nuremberg, Tokyo and higher international criminal courts mentioned above). It is backed by statements and resolutions of an individual or group of countries together with other sources and authorities of international law. Justice has closed the escape door for these perpetrators.
On our part, we try to prepare documentation and evidence to present to the international audience. In some cases we try to provide help to our compatriots to present their complaints in other countries. In order to succed in this task and have a real and genuine impact, we need continuous and extensive efforts by a broad group of people, as well as by political, social and human rights institutions. We should all call loudly for the trial of these criminals, such that our voices are heard everywhere. We do not doubt that these criminals will be tried in a court of justice either abroad or in the country after the fall of this dictatorial regime. The progress of this work relies on the hard efforts of every freedom-loving and justice-seeking individual. Let us include this task in our individual and social agenda until we reach a fully successful result.
Signed
Green Lawyers Movement
October 2010
Source : [Farsi] http://bit.ly/9tz7iL
